Spring 2021 - Item detail
1881 Harry Wright Signed Personal Scorecard PSA/DNA MINT 9
- Sold For:
- $2,640
- Year:
- 1881
- Auction:
- 2021 Spring
- Lot #:
- 2198
- Category:
- Autographed Baseballs/Flats/Photos
Presented is a remarkable scorecard, personally scored in pencil by Boston Red Stockings manager Harry Wright, chronicling the August 20, 1881, game between the Red Stockings and Worcester Worcesters. In addition to having been scored in Wright's hand, the card also features a rare Harry Wright full-name signature example at the base of one side in the scorer's box. The piece is graded and encapsulated MINT 9 by PSA/DNA. Considered one of the game's founding fathers, Wright ranks among the most influential baseball figures of the nineteenth century. In 1869 he founded and managed the Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first all-professional team. Following his managerial career in Boston, where he won seven league titles over the course of eleven seasons, Wright enjoyed successful runs as manager of Providence and Philadelphia before retiring in 1893. Wright is credited with developing a number of important innovations still in use today, including the use of hand signals to his players, the constant repositioning of fielders in response to batter's tendencies, pre-game batting and fielding practice, and the use of statistics with regard to managerial strategy. The importance he placed on statistics is evidenced by this scorecard, in which he meticulously kept track of every play of the game. Both teams' lineups are noted along with the date, location, and length of game.
Harry Wright's signature, as most collectors are aware, is scarce. Wright died in 1895 at the age of 60, long before autograph collecting became a popular hobby. Also, Wright wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame until 1953, so few collectors were actively seeking his signature prior to that time. The data on this scorecard, and others like it, are a treasure trove of information for baseball scholars. The results of games from this time period are well documented, but box scores are not. The scorecard (4 x 6.5 inches) remains in superb condition, with only a few inconsequential spots along the edge where removal from a larger scorebook is evident. This is an exceptional relic of one of the game's founding fathers, which would be at home in even the most advanced collection. Reserve $1,000. Estimate (open).
Harry Wright's signature, as most collectors are aware, is scarce. Wright died in 1895 at the age of 60, long before autograph collecting became a popular hobby. Also, Wright wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame until 1953, so few collectors were actively seeking his signature prior to that time. The data on this scorecard, and others like it, are a treasure trove of information for baseball scholars. The results of games from this time period are well documented, but box scores are not. The scorecard (4 x 6.5 inches) remains in superb condition, with only a few inconsequential spots along the edge where removal from a larger scorebook is evident. This is an exceptional relic of one of the game's founding fathers, which would be at home in even the most advanced collection. Reserve $1,000. Estimate (open).